Minimum interference, maximum yields
THE "do nothing" principle of natural farming has resulted in bounteous harvests for Bhaskar Save, whose 14-acre farm, Kalpavruksha, is located in Deheri village in Gujarat"s Valsad district. Three decades ago, Save abandoned chemical fertilisers, pesticides and heavy machinery. "Minimum interference with growth is called natural farming," says Save. "Trees in forests grow without human interference."
Save believes that water should not be held around the plants because it prevents aeration by the roots. However, for plants such as coconut and sapota, which need lots of water, Save has developed the "platform and trench" method: the trees stand on platforms around which trenches 1 metre wide and 1/2 metre deep are dug at distances of 8 metres. These are filled with leaves and twigs. Water is passed through the trenches in the summer, making the soil moist.
Only 6 per cent of Save"s farm is irrigated, and trenching is the only method used. Otherwise, the trees are left strictly alone. Some manure is scattered in the orchard, and fallen leaves and branches are allowed to decompose, providing nutrients to the soil. Besides, nitrogen-fixing legumes are grown. Bacteria flourish naturally in the soil, so enriching it that no additional fertilisers are needed, says Save. "Chemical fertilisers add to soil acidity, increasing the rate of evaporation of water," he says. Increased soil acidity also lowers plant resistance.
Plant pests and diseases are biologically-controlled. Plants such as neem, tulsi, pumpkin and cactii, which attract insects that prey on pests, are grown. Red ants and termites, which also feed on pests, thrive on the farm. "There has been no major plant disease here," says Save. Papayas are grown "to attract birds that are necessary for fertilisation". Besides, flowering plants have been grown and bees kept to encourage pollination.
Only light ploughing is done, because Save believes that deeper tilling breaks plant roots and depletes soil moisture. He practises vermiculture because "earthworms are the natural tillers of the soil". He points out that earthworm casting is rich in calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Earthworms keep the soil aerated, do not destroy the roots and increase moisture and humus levels. "The soil in Kalpavruksha requires only 30 per cent of the water needed by soil that has been deeply ploughed," says Save.
Trees on his farm are not pruned and crops are not weeded. Pulling out weeds kills enriching bacteria. And, contrary to popular belief, weeds do not draw away nutrients from the crops but contribute to compost formation, he says.
He grows seasonal vegetables, mango, sapota, banana, lemon, coconut. Yields are high. The 450 sapota trees give 250-300 kg fruit per tree and each of the 400 coconut trees yields 350 coconuts annually. Save sells about 25,000-30,000 sapota and coconut plants, earning Rs 2.5 lakh every year. He does not market his farm produce. "Fruit and grain is distributed among neighbours and friends and interested buyers come here," he says.
Save also grows rice in the rainy season, wheat in the winter months and nitrogen-fixing pulses such as moong, urad and val in the summer. "Three kilograms of moong yield 200 kg of nitrogen. The same amount of chemical nitrogenous fertiliser would cost at least Rs 1,600, not including the cost of transportation and labour," says Save. Besides, vegetables and several varieties of grass that prevent soil erosion have been planted.
Low input
The farm yields approximately 810 kg of rice per ha, using indigenous varieties. Although Save acknowledges that "other farms in the area get 1,215 kg per ha using hybrid varieties and chemicals", he says this "is achieved at a high cost and the soil soon loses its nutrients". He points out: "To earn Rs 100, my input cost is just Rs 7."
The 72-year-old former schoolteacher began farming in 1951. Seven years later, he switched to organic farming, fed up with "spending more and more to get less and less". Profits were low initially, while the soil recovered its fertility. Within 10 years, however, Save"s profits increased by 400 per cent and he was earning Rs 28,000 per month.
Kalpavruksha has inspired at least one other person to take up organic farming. Ashok Sanghvi, who bought 9.2 ha in the area in 1983, estimated that it would cost at least Rs 40 lakh to transform the rocky wasteland. With Save"s help the land was developed for much less. Within four years, Sanghvi had recovered nearly 25 per cent of his investment.
Sanghvi"s farm has been divided into four plots of 1.6 ha each and was brought under cultivation in five stages. The first plot was interplanted with coconut and banana in 1987. Later, sapota, papaya, pumpkin, mango, vegetables and sugarcane were also cultivated.
According to Sanghvi, only 20 litres of water is used per plant under the trench method, whereas 70 litres is used under the drip system and 150 litres under the flood system. He says that when he started farming, the watertable in the area was 26 metres. Although this has sunk to 50 metres in the nearby farms, it has risen to 16 metres in his farm, he says.
This year Sanghvi"s farm has produced a rich yield of 15 kg of bananas, which fetches Rs 6 per kg at Dadar.
Madhya Pradesh also has its showpiece of natural and organic farming in the Friends Rural Centre (FRC). This was set up by the British in 1888, at Rasulia in Hoshangabad district.
The Centre is located on 18 ha of land of which 12.8 is under cultivation. Since 1988, the Centre has been experimenting with natural farming. Paddy, soyabean, sunhemp, grams, wheat, and rapeseed are grown and a support crop is planted with the main crop.
Pellets are prepared by mixing the seeds with mud. After two days, the pellets are spread over the plot. "Although natural farming does not require human intervention except during harvesting, labour is used on FRC fields to cut excess weeds and grass," says B Ramesh Tare, a farmworker at FRC. Animal and human labour is used for ploughing and weeding and locally-made implements are used for farming operations.
Pesticides are not required since pest attacks are rare. And, according to FRC president R P Soni, "Agricultural waste and grass is used as fodder for the cattle." Grass used as fodder is planted along the border of each plant and manure from cattle is used to fertilise this land.
FRC farm manager B L Mirdha says crop yields are encouraging. In 1992-93, 2.7 tonnes of paddy, 1 tonne of wheat and 0.75 tonnes each of soyabean and chickpea was harvested from one ha.
Grain is distributed among the employees and the surplus is sold in the market. The produce is sold to employees at only 50 per cent of its market value. Workers are provided free accommodation and a nominal charge is levied for gobar gas and electricity.
The workers, however, allege that they are poorly paid. They also accuse the management of misappropriating farm products. Besides, the surrounding villages have not benefited from FRC"s information base and experience in farming. According to Lorry Benjamin, who was with FRC for three years, FRC"s experiment has been confined to the four walls of its own institute. "Officebearers were unaware of local problems," says Benjamin. Says Banwarlal Chaudhary, an agricultural scientist, "The autocratic and authoritative approach of FRC forced the workers to leave."
Soni, however, says the FRC could not extend its activities because of financial constraints. He also alleges that volunteer workers used FRC to develop overseas contacts and start their own farms.
FRC has, nevertheless, motivated Raju and Shalini Titus to adopt natural farming. They felt that the soil had become degraded and the land barren because of "modern" farming techniques; FRC"s activities and the advice of R H Richaria, a rice expert, prompted their decision, says Raju.
The Titus farm is located 4 km from Hoshangabad towards Bhopal. A channel about 2 metre wide runs through the land, dividing it into two plots. Cattle were sold as they proved a hindrance to the growth of ground cover, says Shalini. The grass that was earlier used to feed the animals is now used for ground cover and mulching. The application of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides and tilling were also stopped. Fallen leaves enrich the soil and earthworms proliferate.
Seeds are scattered and grow with the support of other plants. "Fruits, vegetables, cereals and pulses are grown with grass, weeds and wild trees and are complementary to each other. Moisture and nutrient requirements are met by nature itself," explains Raju.
Paddy and soyabean are grown during the kharif season and chickpea, green gram and pigeonpea are cultivated during the rabi season. Black babul, ber, subabul, guava and mango have been planted.
In 1992-93, wheat and pulses yields were 125 kg and 2,000 kg per ha, respectively. According to Shalini Titus, the wheat yield would have been more if the crop had not been adversely affected by excessive rainfall.